Torturous Lamentations
by Paradosso
Summary: After suffering a 'mutual' breakup with Annabeth, Percy travels the world. He is captured tortured, and worse. Returning to Olympus, Percy is enlisted as the Guardian of the Hunt, though he is scarred, both emotionally and physically.
1. Chapter 1

**Torturous Lamentations**

**Summary; After suffering a 'mutual' breakup with Annabeth, Percy travels the world. He is captured tortured, and worse. Returning to Olympus, Percy is enlisted as the Guardian of the Hunt, though he is scarred, both emotionally and physically. **

**Perlia, because I'm trying to make this dark! or however they do that. Possibly Pertemis, but it probably won't be as good. Post 2****nd**** Titan War Pre, 2****nd**** Gigantomachy **

**1**

**Percy casually strolled through camp**, his destination unknown, when his world broke. "Percy…we need to talk." Annabeth, Percy realized.

Calmly turning around, the male demigod replied, "What about?"

"Us." Annabeth wouldn't meet Percy's confused eyes.

Percy, though he may not be the brightest, realized what this was about, "Why?" He asked, the first tears leaking from his eyes.

"My mother…she forbade our relationship." Annabeth explained, doing her best not to choke up.

Percy, though he didn't want to, accepted this, because he didn't want Annabeth to get in trouble with her mother. "Just go." He replied desolately.

Percy didn't want consolation. He didn't want sympathy. He would solve his own problems. He walked, albeit at a brisker pace than before, back to Cabin Three, rapidly scrawling a note and placing it on his bed.

He stood up, packed a bag, and fled Camp under the cover of night.

.

_Dear Chiron, Campers, and all who may be concerned,_

_I am taking a leave of absence for reasons undefined, and my return date is indefinite. It is not anything that the campers have done; I just need to solve some personal troubles. Do not look for me, for I do not wish to be found. Until I return, I am dead to all of you._

_Regards,_

_Perseus A. Jackson_

.

**Percy hacked through the thicket** that blocked his path westward, the way he'd been traveling for the majority of the month. If he was correct, sooner or later he'd end up in Colorado, where he could build a temporary nesting ground.

After that, Percy didn't have the slightest idea on how to continue. He supposed he would check on mom…the son of Poseidon had forgotten that she'd been murdered. By who, he didn't know. But she would be avenged.

Yes, so he assumed he would go back to Camp after he was done moping and whatnot.

Percy had no idea that his moping would take so long.

.

**It was the coldest night of December,** when Percy's world crashed. He'd recently returned from hunting, using the bow given to him by Apollo several weeks ago. Though he still wasn't completely attuned to using the projectile-firing weapon, it served better than a melee attack while hunting for animals.

His camp-granted, it was only a tent and a small fire-was in ruins, the tent in shreds, and ashes from the fire were scattered across the small clearing. "Perseus Jackson, I have been expecting you." A lone figure, previously hidden by shadows, stepped into view, a massive broadsword gripped with both hands.

Percy, oblivious as always, asked, "Who are you?"

"Perses, the Titan of destruction, and your EXECUTIONER!" At the last word, the Titan charged, blade raised high above his head.

Percy, wide eyed, came to his senses, rolling under the blade and rapidly firing arrows into the gaps in the Titan's armor. Roaring in pain, Perses lashed out, snagging the bow with the tip of his sword and breaking it in half.

Cursing under his breath, Percy discarded the broken arc, uncapping riptide and charging into hand-to-hand combat with the Titanic figure. Feinting a strike his legs, Percy flicked his wrist, curving riptide upwards and cutting a gash in Perses' celestial bronze breastplate.

The Titan bellowed in agony, stomping harshly on the ground and sending Percy flying through the thicket.

A lone, hooded figure walked back into the clearing, dragging the unconscious son of Poseidon by his hood. "Well done, Perses. It seems the first phase of milord's contingency plan has come to a close. Jackson will break." Flicking his hood back, the figure was revealed to be the one and only Lucas Castellan.

.

**Percy remembered waking** in a bleak, barren room. "Ah, it seems the son of the sea god wakes." A deep, ancient voice spoke to Percy.

A man, around 6'7" emerged from the shadows, though he remained draped in them. "I see you are in a bit of a… predicament, if you will. As I am not yet at full power, I am unable to aide you, but the moment that I have enough strength to help, I will. Take faith young demigod, you are not alone." The man, along with the setting, disappeared.

.

"**Well, my dear grandson**, how lovely of you to join us here in Hell." Kronos' sarcastic voice echoed throughout the endless pit, erecting goosebumps along Percy's arms.

"Kronos, I've defeated you. Out for revenge already?" A smirk plastered itself out on Percy's face, but contorted into an expression of pain as the Titan lord drove a knife deep into his shoulder.

"That should teach you to hold your tongue, _boy_." Kronos hissed as Percy writhed and struggled against the chains which bound him.

"I'm sorry, but I'm considered a _very _slow learner. I hope that won't interfere with how we continue from now on." Percy retorted in a mock-concerned tone.

"Grandson, you should know how very little patience I possess. Based on that knowledge, your increasingly intolerable quips will cause a very difficult phase in our relationship." The lightly veiled threat behind Kronos' pretense of amiableness caused the hairs on the back of Percy's neck to stand on end.

Turning around, Kronos barked out an order to an unseen monster, "Bring the letterer! Our friend here has asked for some _inscriptions_." The tone in which Kronos finished his order frightened Percy more than anything he had ever encountered in all of his sixteen years of life.

.

**_Now, now Seaweed Brain._**A voice in Percy's head mockingly chided him. _We can't have you passing out before Kronos has even finished his impression, now can we?_

Percy bolted to life, cold perspiration beading up on his forehead. He sighed in relief; the Titan lord wasn't making any more engravings on his body. He stared down at the latest one, translating it under his breath.

Ψυχή ενός δαίμονα.

Soul of a demon.

An accompanying carving was placed below it, Ακίνητα της κόλασης, which roughly translated to property of Hell.

"I see you've been examining your wounds." Kronos observed from a hidden vantage point, where he could watch Percy, but remain unseen by the demigod.

_Big man sees everything. Nothing is unobserved. No privacy for Seaweed Brain. _The voice, which Percy had hoped was just a figment of his dream, rambled crazily.

"Do you like my present?" Kronos asked in a giddy tone. Noticing the scowl on Percy's face, he pouted. "I suppose you don't."

_Why don't you like me? I am you, just like you are me. Can't you see that? _A puzzled look dawned on the demigod's face and he firmly replied, "You are _not_ me."

_Don't presume to know who I am, you met me less than an hour ago. I may not entirely be you; I am still part of you. I have been known as your 'Conscience', though I am actually your Temporal Lobe. I control your sanity, among other things. I am released when you have none. Your hope died depressingly quickly._

Percy suppressed a growl when the Titan lord came into view. He looked back the way he'd come waved his hand invitingly.

Two heavyset Cyclopes came forth, carrying a tub of water, which, by reading their expressions, Percy deemed very burdensome. "Now, Perseus, once you are cast into this pit we call home, your powers are effectively negated, lest I would've escaped many centuries before your birth and reclaimed my throne. My one-eyed friends here are with us to find out just how effectively your powers have been negated." Kronos explained.

A shell of a plan was beginning to form in Percy's mind. If his powers hadn't been canceled, the water would heal his body, giving him enough power to break away, maybe even to escape.

Kronos roughly jerked him forward, promptly dropping the demigod on his knees. Kronos harshly kicked the half-blood in his ribs, which were exposed by the months of starvation. Here in Tartarus, you could survive forever without taking a bite of food, a fact which was saving Percy's life right now.

Percy took the hint, rising to his feet and stumbling forward. He glanced at the tank warily, for the first time realizing that his powers might've actually been negated. He had no time to try to back out now; Kronos roughly grasped a fistful of coarse, ebony hair and yanked, taking his hand and Percy's head and submerging them both in water.

Percy finally realized what drowning felt like.

His first mistake was leaving his mouth open.

As soon as he was in the water, his lungs were clogged full of _his element_ and he realized that he actually couldn't breathe. His eyes widened in shock and he started thrashing, kicking the tub.

But for all his strength, the damned tank wouldn't lurch, wouldn't show that it felt his attempts in the slightest. Just when Percy felt he could take no more, Kronos yanked back, pulling Percy out of the water.

Percy desperately gasped, breathing in all the air he could, but his time above water didn't last long. As soon as he'd sucked in a breath, Kronos dunked him again.

This continued all night…

.

**Percy had forgotten **the last time he'd seen the sun. It didn't matter. He didn't care anymore.

Currently, he was placed on a spinning wheel and shot at with arrows, most of them hit. It didn't matter. He didn't feel anymore.

He barely grunted when an arrow cut a deep gash in his cheek. "Well, Perseus, how are you feeling?" Kronos happily asked.

"Kronos," Percy started, a dangerous edge to his voice, "if you knew what I was feeling, you would've run away by now. Because you haven't, you might just get…" the demigod paused for effect, "_hurt_."

A scythe flew out of the darkness, cutting down a rank of reptilian archers. "What sorcery is this?" Kronos bellowed.

Thanatos appeared, his scythe now back in hand, "Hello cousin, I don't believe we've been acquainted."

"You are of no relation to me! You are but a mere minor god!" Kronos screamed disbelievingly.

"I am a son of Nyx, the Primordial goddess of night, and I am here to rescue," he looked down at his iPhone, pressing a few buttons as he did, "one Perseus A. Jackson."

Kronos summoned his scythe and charged, but his attempts were made futile when Thanatos spread his wings, launching out of the striking range of the enraged Titan. The dracaenae archers fired at the personification of death's wings, in order to take him down, but shadows began to wrap themselves around him, deflecting the projectiles.

When the shadows retreated, a woman stood in the place of Thanatos, "Who dares to attack my son?" She thundered. A spear appeared in her hand, "Answer or perish!"

Kronos' eyes narrowed and his scythe shone a golden, ethereal light. "I simply defended my home." He insisted.

"Insolent whelp! My brother wishes not to have the likes of you loitering in his pit!" She bellowed.

"Tartarus faded many years ago, Nyx, and lest you leave, you shall too." Kronos threatened.

She responded with an intense glare, a black laser-light beam coming from her eyes, striking Kronos in the chest. An explosion came once it collided with the Titan of time, decimating the rest of the monsters who had accompanied Kronos in torturing Percy.

She floated down until she was touching the granite floor with her feet, dropping her scythe and letting it get consumed by the earth. "I am sorry I could not come sooner, Perseus. My husband lacked the power necessary to contact me; he hasn't been the same since he was drained by Khaos' minion."

She unstrapped him from the wheel, letting a harmonious, beautiful laugh escape her lips as he tumbled gracelessly to the ground. She helped him up, placing her lips lightly against his forehead. She stepped back, watching as he glowed a transcendent, obsidian light.

When it subsided, he was dressed in a hood, Kevlar pants, and combat boots. A new bow was at his side, along with a quiver over his shoulder. He wore a belt, which held a long hunting knife, riptide and its clone, which Nyx had made, and three throwing knives on each side, which were replaced magically at the hour. Another addition to his arsenal, a spear was also at his back, and its head was made of Primordial obsidian, a metal made with her essence. The most intricate weapon, though, was the thin blade mounted on the inside of his forearm.

A hidden blade, the maker had called it. It responded to a flick of the wrist, extracting from its cover though not completely escaping. It retracted, for future use. Though the weapon was very poor at straight up fighting, it was perfect for ambushes and assassinations.

His eyes were the most unnerving part. Though the hood covered his face down to the nose, you could see a black glow coming from them, and if you removed the hood, his eye sockets were filled with an onyx fire.

He shook his head, unsure of what had just occurred, "Nyx… what just happened?"

"You were given the Αιώνια συγχώρεση, the blessing of Nyx. I do hope you use it wisely." Having said that, she was enveloped by the shadows, and vanished.

Percy reappeared in the throne room of Hades, though the lord of the Underworld was absent. Instead, Thanatos sat Indian style at the foot of Hades' throne. "I trust my mother disposed of the… others." The god of death spoke with some contempt for the monsters, still not opening his eyes.

"Yes," Percy responded, "she was quite helpful."

Thanatos rose to his feet with ease, striding over to where the son of Poseidon was positioned. His index finger extended to his forehead, and Percy fainted as it touched him.

.

**When the demigod woke**, he was on Olympus, in the gardens. Demeter happened to stumble upon him one day, she shrieked and the rest of the Olympians came to see what had happened. Their reactions were mixed.

Athena looked upon him with a contemptuous gleam in her eyes, as usual. Poseidon rushed forward to embrace his son, but Percy winced and backed away. Dionysus looked bored and indifferent. Artemis had a perplexingly amused expression, and Apollo was delighted, along with Hermes.

Hera was also indifferent. Zeus looked that way as well. Ares was busy sharpening his sword, and Aphrodite appeared to be lustful. Hephaestus was tinkering with an object, which flew off into the air.

Finally, Poseidon spoke up, "Where have you been?"

Percy winced again as the memories hit him, "Places."

Zeus immediately demanded that the son of Poseidon go back to camp, to which Percy vehemently abstained.

"I'll take him!" Aphrodite offered.

Hermes piped up, "No! Let me and Apollo have him! We'll pull pranks and get laid together! The three amigos!"

Hephaestus murmured something about helping him in the forge, and Demeter suggested that he help her in the fields.

Poseidon opted for his son to come to his palace with him and reclaim his rightful place next to him.

Artemis had finally had enough. "I'll take him with the hunt, until he is ready to go back to camp." Everyone stopped bickering and stared at her.

"As much as I may dislike Perseus," Athena started with a distasteful glance at the son of Poseidon, "I believe that the hunt will most likely misuse him the least."

Zeus immediately hopped on board, "Then it is settled! Perseus will accompany Artemis and her hunters until he is ready to return to Camp Half-Blood!"

Slowly, one by one, the Olympians left until only Percy and Artemis were left. "So Perseus, where were you all this time?" Artemis inquired.

"You'll have to gain my trust before I answer that." The son of Poseidon responded, walking away.

.

**Percy was, to say the least**, shocked at the revelation that he had wings. Now, he definitely didn't expect to find out by being pushed off of Olympus. But when Ares comes calling, who knows what'll happen.

"Hey punk, y'never told me, where've ya been?" Ares boisterously called. Percy ignored him, quickening his pace. That made Ares mad.

He stalked into Percy's way, clamping down on his shoulder and tossing him away, though he never intended to throw him off of Olympus. Percy felt a rush, then a sharp jolt of pain. The next thing he knew, ten feet of black, unkempt, feathery wings were stretched out behind his back, keeping him aloft.

Once Percy spotted a respectable place to land, he dropped, about 30 meters a second. Realizing he didn't know how to pull up, Percy panicked and successfully earned himself a mouthful of dirt.

"Milady," a condescending voice called out, "what is this _male _doing in our camp?" Percy, now in a crouched position, recognized the hunter as Phoebe, the girl who the Stolls pranked all those years ago.

Seeing that she already had her hunting knives out, ready to attack, Percy went for his bow, but was beat to it.

An arrow pierced his shoulder, and he bit back a curse as he ripped it out. Now he was mad. He disarmed Phoebe quickly, knocking her out with the hilt of his hunting knife. His bow was out now, pinning other hunters to trees.

Artemis perched on a branch, not bothering to interfere. He'd taken out seven hunters already, but it was early morning and there was a possibility that not all of them were up yet. Making sure no one was looking; he uncapped both riptides, spotting his next opponent. _Ah shit_.

Regardless, he raced forth, bringing his swords down in an 'X' pattern. Thalia blocked them with her shield, retaliating by cutting a gash in Percy's midsection. He didn't even grunt, pulling back and kicking her legs out from under her.

She fell to her knees and Percy flipped over her head. She spun around sweeping his legs and causing him to fall. She tried to impale him with a spear, but he rolled out of the way, and struck, putting his sword point at her temple.

At this point, they were both panting and out of breath. "Who are you?" She asked.

Reaching up and pulling down his hood, he replied, "Long time no see Thals."

**Hope you liked. My writing became inconsistent around the middle, and I'm sorry. I'm unsure when this will be updated next.**

**REVIEW**

**Paradosso**


	2. Chapter 2

**I got a lot of reviews last night, which I'm happy about. PixelUp- Here it is. SirDerpsAlotThe7th- I enjoy your name. Thank you for the kind words, but I had typed the chapter before your review, so please bear with me. I'll try to get it done next chapter. Daethar4U- I had a lot of the comments geared toward Artemis rather than Thalia, so I believe there is a great chance that this story turns into Pertemis. pecabethlover- As I said to SirDerpsAlot this chapter was written up beforehand. I do hope it meets expectations. amritthegreat03- There is ample opportunity to do that, however I was trying to make this original with Perlia. Might not now. Most of the comments want Pertemis. PJFAN- Yeah, I'll get on that. Doughnutswilderness- Thanks.**

**Percy's going to try to be lighthearted in this chapter.**

**Chapter 2**

**Percy violently thrashed in his sleep**; he was in Tartarus again, the bastard Morpheus seemed to still be in allegiance with the Titan lord.

In his nightmare, Kronos mercilessly slapped his back with a _flaming _cord which consisted of a mix of leather and steel. His back was already laden with at least seventy-five whip marks, each more painful than the last. His first scar was a small, bright red mark above his Iliolumbar ligament-a bone in the lower back of a human's body.

His whip came down again, hardheartedly beating on Percy's collarbone. "Kronos," Percy paused, letting loose a hiss of pain, "if I ever come into contact with you in the real world, you better pray to whatever deity that you fear the most to kill you. Because whatever they do, I'll be ten times more vicious."

From Kronos' perspective, he was the one wielding the whip and he had nothing to be afraid of, so he just laughed the threat off. "Grandson, you seem to misunderstand me; I fear no one. There is nothing that you could threaten me with."

He whipped Percy's bare back again, and the son of Poseidon winced and shut his eyes tightly internally telling himself 'The night is always darkest before the dawn.'

Kronos laughed loudly, exclaiming, "It will be much darker than this, naïve demigod."

.

**Percy jolted awake** as a jolt of electricity ran up his spine. He scowled, these 'minor pranks' had been going since he'd been here, three weeks.

He grumbled under his breath, standing up and grabbing a black sweatshirt with a hood. He strode out his tent, bow in hand, ignoring the various giggles that spread throughout the camp. During his time there, he'd taken the liberty to learn a few things about the girls.

Phoebe was next in line to be the lieutenant. She was a daughter of Ares, hailing from ancient Greece, and she was an extraordinary tracker. Her fiancé was killed on the night before her wedding by her brother, and his father was killed by hers.

Diana, the daughter of Apollo, was infamous for being the best shot in camp. She could hit a berry from two hundred fifty meters away. She was from ancient Greece as well. Her family was killed by someone who was jealous of their wealth, a man.

Atalanta was the fastest runner in the hunt. She was the last hunter who was birthed in Greece, a daughter of Hermes. She was the fastest shot in the hunt and within three seconds, she could put a hat trick into someone's heart from seventy-five yards away.

Nicole is a Native American, of the Inuit tribe. Her father was the chief of their tribe, and they never bore a boy, so she was taught what the male children learned. She was the best cooperator with animals, and was the best gatherer. Her family and tribe were killed by pioneers traveling westward, while she escaped with the family wolf.

Jane, Victoria, and Sue are from the Elizabethan era, a daughter of Aphrodite. They doesn't have many extraordinary skills, but are still a better shot than any of the campers.

Khloe, a girl from ancient Egypt, is the designated cook for camp. She grew up as a slave in Egypt, who cooked for the Pharaoh. When the Romans took over, she was released, and joined Artemis. She is a daughter of Hephaestus.

Sarah and Liz were born twins in Germany. They fled to the United States during World War II, and joined Artemis after their mother died of an illness. They have a kind of supernatural telepathy with each other. They are both mortal.

Lisa was born in West Africa, where her family was killed by illness during the slave trade. She is very athletic, and enjoys sparring with anyone who will take her on. She is a daughter of Mars.

_Campers_. The word feels wrong when Percy thinks of it. He would not go back there, that he was sure of.

Percy arrived at the lake as the sun was rising over the trees. Judging by that, Percy would have time to take a short lap around the lake, then continue the _chores _he was issued. He was sure that if he were female, the chore schedule would continue as it had gone, switching from hunter to hunter every day.

But nooo, because he had the misfortune of being borne male, he was punished. Artemis was so fucking biased.

Jerking his shirt over his head and tossing it onto the ground with disregard, Percy dove into the clear blue lake.

.

From her vantage point in a tree, Thalia gasped as she viewed Percy's back. Not only was he completely _ripped_-Thalia would deny ever thinking that-his back was covered in _scars_.

Long red gashes, thin pale slits, whatever you could think of, it was there.

It scared Thalia, more than she would like to admit. "What happened to you Percy?" She whimpered.

.

**A day later**, Percy and the hunters were traveling westward, toward attacks targeting Camp Jupiter. "Perseus, do you know why we travel with wolves?" Artemis asked out of the blue one day.

"They are better trackers than humans. Wolves have better smell, sight, and hearing than us mortals." Percy responded, staring at the camp fire he'd constructed.

"Correct." Artemis said, a hint of surprise suppressed in her voice. Suddenly, a screeching noise was heard in the distance, followed by a large crash.

Percy was the first up, his wings out, making him look like some sort of angel. 'Angel of death,' he thought dryly to himself.

He also made it to the bus wreck first, but his wings deserved most of the credibility for that. Turning to Artemis, he gave an analysis. "Bus wreck. Something hit them, throwing them off of the roads. Some passengers were impaled by glass from the windows, but the majority of them were killed by the flames."

"What flames?" Artemis asked, turning to face Percy.

"The engine exploded. This wasn't an accident. There are also three survivors," Percy explained, pointing towards three unconscious teenagers.

Artemis followed his gaze. "They're the farthest from the gasoline tank, Perseus," She pointed out, disapprovingly.

Percy shook his head, sighing. "That's not why they survived, Milady. They're demigods."

.

**When Jason woke from unconsciousness**, he jumped. A tall hooded man with wings sat there, staring blankly at him. "I'm dead, aren't I? Based on the fact that the angel of death is right here in front of me, I'm going to say that I'm dead."

The man's eyes focused on Jason, making a cold shiver run up the length of his spine. "Oh, right! The hood and wings kinda throw people off." He said, laughing sheepishly, while rubbing the back of his neck. He jerked the hood off; revealing shaggy, jet-black hair that nearly covered his eyes, and retracted his wings.

"Percy." The man said, extending his hand to the bed-ridden fifteen year-old.

"Jason," the blond teenager croaked back, weakly grasping the extended palm.

He winced at Percy's shaking, an excruciating pain shooting through his arm. Percy noticed this and frowned. "What's wrong?" He asked.

"My arm. I think it's broken," Jason replied.

"Hold still," Percy commanded, leaning forward to gently grasp Jason's arm. A black fluid began to run through Jason's veins, flowing into Percy's bloodstream where their skin met. Instantly, Jason felt stronger, and Percy fell to the infirmary floor.

"Whoa!" Jason exclaimed. "What'd you do?"

From his spot on the ground, Percy groaned and replied, "I kinda took your broken arm from you. And 99% of the lingering pain you feel."

Thalia stomped through the open tent flap, nudging Percy with the tip of her boot. "Ow! That's my broken arm!"

"Aw don't be such a baby. It'll heal. Now, go do your… whatever you do."

Percy stood, grumbling, and marched out of the infirmary. Thalia turned to the bedridden teen and spoke, "So, how's it going lil' bro?"

"Wha?" Jason asked, feeling extremely bemused.

Thalia sighed, sat down in a chair next to his bed, and began to explain.

.

**Percy stumbled through their not-so-homely campsite**, spying a group of hunters teaching the Cherokee girl archery. Piper, she said her name was.

She seemed to be completely inadequate, granted, she was better than Percy when he first started. Using his advanced hearing, he zoomed in on their conversation.

_So, have you thought about our offer? _Phoebe asked.

_I'm not leaving Jason. _She insisted.

_Idiot child! Lady Artemis could do so much more for you than some boy! _The daughter of Ares spat, raising her hand to strike.

Percy flew in, catching her fist and growling, "She said no, Phoebe. Leave her alone."

Phoebe swung her other fist, grazing Percy's cheek, and forcing him to let go of her hand. She swung again, but Percy parried her blow with his forearm. "Fight back!" She bellowed in rage, charging again.

Percy sidestepped her punch, her momentum causing her to stumble forward and fall into the dirt. "Perseus! I will not have you roughhousing with my hunters!" Artemis stepped through the crowd.

"Then tell your hunter," Percy started acidity on his tongue, "to control her anger."

"Milady I didn't do any-," Phoebe started.

"Phoebe, did you know that rape is a very serious, real threat in the modern world? In fact, the slogan for rape-disapproving advertisements is 'No Means No.' Piper said no." He growled the last sentence, glaring menacingly at her, his eyes flashing.

Phoebe, stood up grumbling and stomped away, and the crowd dispersed with her. "Hey," a soft voice spoke, "thanks for helping me out back there."

Percy turned, smiling easily at the smaller girl, "No prob. Phoebe can be a big bully when you don't see things the exact same way as she does."

"So were you a camper at CHB?"

Percy let out a small laugh, feeling nostalgic as he played with the beads on his necklace, "Yeah. You should become friends with Annabeth, she's kind of the head camper. Also, try to play nice with Clarisse."

Piper smiled, "You sound fond of this Annabeth girl. Is something going on between you two."

Percy laughed, a sad sparkle in his eye, "You are your mother's child. Yeah, Annabeth is my ex."

Piper sensed it was a sensitive subject for him, "So, you know who my mother is?" She asked.

"Yeah. Aphrodite. She and I had an interesting friendship. Your eyes told the story. Anybody ever told you that they change colors as if they were a kaleidoscope?"

"Leo was the first. I swear, he called me kaleidoscope for a month. Anyway, Aphrodite, like goddess of beauty or whatever? Obviously I didn't inherit that." Piper scoffed.

"Don't sell yourself short, Piper. You can be as beautiful as you want to be. I know one person who thinks you're beautiful," He held his hand up in front of the infirmary tent and pointed.

"You go play with sleeping beauty in there. I'm gonna go find Leo."

**.**

**"Kid," Percy called, **looking around the narrow trail the wolf had led him to, "you over here?"

Leo picked fiddled with the stem on a pinecone on a nearby limb, finally pulling it down and dropping it toward the ground, "Right here."

Percy sidestepped the pinecone coolly, waving the wolf back to camp, "Cool. Dinner's in twenty. Be there, or you're catching your own food. Trust me, it was slim pickings before we went out and got food for twenty people. Something's been up with animals for about a week now. Anyway, I'll be off. Leave you to whatever it is you were doing."

"Wait!" Leo almost lunged, losing his balance and _very_ narrowly avoiding falling out of the tree. "Is Jason gonna be ok?"

"Yeah, he'll be fine. He just needs some rest. He'll be up by dawn tomorrow, which is coincidentally when we transport you to camp. After dinner we'll have a period for games and activities, and then curfew is around midnight. I don't really enforce anything, but I'd prefer if I didn't have to drag somebody's ass all the way to Long Island."

"Gotcha." Leo grinned, leaning back in the tree, "See ya at dinner, dude."

**.**

**Leo later found out** that Percy didn't actually eat dinner in the tent with the other hunters, but instead outside, near the campfire. He looked around the tent, observing the company, holding his rabbit meat and assorted berries on an intricately designed bowl, and opted to eat outside.

He settled down on an old, somewhat rotted log, and plopped a blueberry into his mouth, "Problems in the tent?" Percy asked, not looking up from the fire.

"Nah, just a tough crowd. Figured I'd get more laughs out here from you and my old friend rocky," He jested, patting the rock bordering the fire.

Percy looked up from the fire, only to stare at him blankly, "Kid, if that were an animal, its owner would sadly say 'let's go for a walk buddy,' take it out behind the house, and shoot it."

Leo chuckled, "That bad, huh?"

"Yup."

They duo sat there in an uncomfortable silence for a moment, before Percy got up, scraping his food into the fire, "C'mon, I want to show you something."

Leo shrugged dumping his food into the fire as well, "It was cold anyway."

Percy led him around a winding path to a ledge, "Step over to the end there, close your eyes, and hold your arms out to the side."

Leo hesitantly did as he was told. Percy cracked his knuckles, before grabbing Leo near his shoulders and jumping off of the ledge, "AIIIIGGGGHHHHH!"

Percy sighed, extending his wings and gliding through the air, "Stop screaming, you pansy. Don't make me drop you."

Leo looked up at him, amazed, "You can fly?"

"For the better part of a month, yeah." Percy replied, doing a barrel roll in the air.

"WOOHOO!" The son of Vulcan screamed.

**.**

**When they returned to camp, **the son of Poseidon dropped Leo, quite unceremoniously, next to the fire, in front of the girls and Jason, "That. Was. AWESOME!" Valdez leapt to his feet, running to Jason, grabbing him by the shoulders, and began to tell his story.

Meanwhile, Percy sensed a pair of eyes glaring at him. He sighed, "Lady Artemis," he drawled, "if you're going to glower at me, at least do it from where I can see you."

She dropped down to the dirt floor, striding over to where Percy was confidently, even though he towered over her twelve year-old form, "You chose to take the spawn of Hephaestus on a field trip, while you still had chores to do?"

"Milady, with all due respect, I finished the chores tasked upon me last night." He stated, calmly staring back at her.

"So you slept none at all last night?" She asked.

"No, Milady. As soon as I was done with the chores, I watched over the camp." He responded.

Artemis turned on her heel, scowling. She paced throughout the campground for a moment, before whirling back on Perseus, "Go to your tent," she ordered, "get some sleep."

Perseus stared at her for a moment, perplexed by her abnormally nondiscriminatory ruling, before beginning the trudge to his tent.

She turned to the hunters, "He is to be left alone until he wakes up tomorrow morning. If anyone harms him in any way, they will be doing all of the chores themselves the next day. Am I understood?"

There was an unhappy grumbling of assent, but Nicole raised her hand, "Milady, he is a male," she said, sending a look at Jason and Leo, "why are we being kind to him?"

"He has done nothing wrong since he arrived here. We have been unjustly cruel to him, and he did nothing to deserve punishment. Now," she said, flicking her wrist and putting out the fire, "go to your tents. We leave at dawn tomorrow."

**.**

**The next morning, **Artemis found Percy perched on a tree branch overlooking the camp, his legs dangling freely, "I thought I told you to go to bed."

He gave a brief laugh, "I did. Then I got up. Now, here we are."

She frowned, "Fine. Go gather sufficient food for three days' time. It should not take us very long to get to Camp Half-Blood."

Percy jumped off of the tree, his feet making large imprints in the dirt. He grabbed his quiver and bow, stomping out toward the forest. He did not, however, notice the three huntresses following him.

**.**

**Percy crouched low,** barely concealed by the berry bush. His prey, a large male deer, stood there silently, his neck bent low as he ate leaves off of the ground.

There was a low 'pop' as Thanatos appeared, startling the buck, and scaring it away, "Normally I would not appear in my physical form, but Hades considers this matter urgent, so here I am."

Percy sighed, "And what is this problem, Thanatos?" He asked exasperatedly.

"Hades has sources saying that there are three young ladies located in the hunt who are spies for Kronos."

The three girls who had followed Percy stepped out from their hiding spot, "That's right," Atalanta said, "and we're here to kill you. Hades' pet will just have to be an added bonus."

Khloe drew her cooking knife from the sash around her waist, as Atalanta drew her bow, and Nicole her spear. Percy scowled, "Fifteen seconds."

Nicole charged, jabbing her spear at the guardian. He grabbed it by the shaft, jerking it forward and punching her in the throat. Khloe swung at his head, and Percy ducked. Coming back up, he gripped the girl around her throat, slamming her to the ground.

Atalanta screamed, firing an arrow at Percy. The son of the sea god caught the arrow, rushing forward and incapacitating her with a strike to the head.

He turned toward Thanatos, "How long did it take?"

The hand of death looked toward his watch, "Twelve point two seconds."

"Hmm. Seems I underestimated their skill." Percy murmured.

"Why didn't you just kill them?" Thanatos asked.

"Wasn't my kill. They pledged their allegiance to Artemis, not me. If she wants to kill them, she can. She can decide what happens to them." Percy answered, tying the girls together.

Thanatos snapped his fingers, and they were flashing back to camp.

**.**

**"Perseus, **why is Thanatos here? Where is the food you were supposed to retrieve? Why in Hades' name are my hunters tied up?"

"Well, Lady Artemis, I don't wish to be the bearer of bad news, but your hunters were spies." Percy spoke.

"For who?"

"Kronos." Thanatos replied sullenly.

"I don't believe you. Either of you." She insisted, crossing her arms.

Thanatos flicked his wrist, the bodies of the girls levitating towards the group. He pulled down the collar of Khloe's shirt, just enough to show a tattoo of a scythe just under her clavicle. He did this on each of the girls, eliciting a gasp from the hunters.

"Do you believe us now?" Thanatos drawled, lazily looking back toward Artemis.

"Wake them," she ordered, "I want to know why."

Thanatos snapped his fingers, and the trio awoke. Atalanta was the first to realize what had happened, "Lady Artemis! Percy and Thanatos are in allegiance with Kronos! You must kill them!"

The goddess sighed, "Atalanta, why would you do this? I took you in. I saved you. You were a sister to me."

"Not anymore. Not since you took that _boy_ in," she sneered at Percy, "You've abandoned all of your principles and virtues, you filthy wench."

Artemis' nostrils flared. 'CRACK!' Atalanta was on the ground, her jaw broken, "You are no sister to me. I will travel to Olympus and have my father decide your fates. Gods help you if he allows me to disperse penance."

They vanished in a flash, and Percy turned towards the crowd, "Pack up. We leave tomorrow morning."

The wolf nearest Percy began to whine, looking up nervously toward the sky. The demigod took a deep breath, "Thanatos," he began, "do you feel that?"

The hand of death was confused, "What?"

"A presence. Minor god. Traveling toward here at high speeds. Scratch that. Two. They smell like revenge." He listed.

"Take all of the hunters and get them out of here." Percy ordered.

Thanatos turned toward Percy, "What're you going to do?"

"I'm going to be here to roll out the red carpet."

**So, I tried to make this chapter slightly longer than the last one. Um. Yeah. Bye.**

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